


Medium

by Rox3l



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Angst, Ghost Sex, Ghosts, Gore, Incest, M/M, Molestation, Non-Consensual
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 20:00:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rox3l/pseuds/Rox3l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>If you had asked Roxas a year ago if he believed in ghosts he would have not only told you no, but Hell no.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

~O~

Roxas Strife was pouting. Not only was he pouting, he was sulking, pissy and just being all around unpleasant. Him and his family were being moved from sunny California, all the way across the country to New Hampshire, a state he had not even heard of until his father had announced that they were moving there. His twins and older brother were really excited about the move, which pissed Roxas off even more. He was leaving behind everything. Everything. His friends, his school, his boyfriend. His life was effectively over. It wasn't fucking fair.

He glared up at the white three story building and placed his feet on the back the front seat. The rest of his family was clamoring out of the van, eager to explore their new home. He scowled, determined to not get out of the car until he was dragged out, probably by Sora. Looking up at the building again he started, sitting up straight and moving closer to the window. The curtains of one of the windows on the second floor were swaying slightly, as if they had just been touched. Roxas' eyebrows came together. He knew he had excellent eye sight, but for a second he was doubt what he had seen. He swore that he had seen someone standing in that window, looking out.

He shook his head and went back to slumping, there must just be someone in there is all. Is what he told himself as his older brother Cloud threw the sliding door open and demanded that he 'get the fuck out.' Sighing in annoyance, Roxas complied. Grabbing his backpack, which was full of his important electronics and dismounted from the car. Stepping out into the sunlight he winced slightly before following his brother across the street to the new house. His father had the keys in his hand and was unlocking the front door. Sora, his eight minute older fraternal twin dashed across the threshold as soon as the door was open. Laughing, his parents followed the brunette, his father's arm wrapped gently around his mother's shoulders. Ventus, his identical twin was just behind them, in step with Cloud and Roxas was bringing up the rear.

Dragging his feet he looked up at the window he had noticed before and froze. A pair of bright green eyes in a pale face stared back at him. His heart stuttering he looked down at the open door and sprinted into the house. He bounded threw the living room, racing for the stairs. His feet pelted up the hardwood steps that would take him to the second floor. When he reached the landing he turned to the door at the end of the hall. His heart was pounding in his chest as he took careful steps toward the wood. He placed his fingertips against the cool surface and gave it a shove. The door swung open, to reveal and empty room. Roxas' brow furrowed and he moved into the room, his eyes glancing into each corner of the room confirming that it was indeed empty. Confused, he moved to the closet and grasped the crystal handle. He pulled the door open and there was nothing. Just a small empty rectangle of space. Closing the closet door again he moved over to the window he had seen the face in and pushed the lace curtains apart. He looked down at the street where he could see the family car and the moving truck pulling up.

"This place is awesome." Sora stated walking into the room.

Roxas didn't say anything and continued to look out the window.

"Uh, Earth to Roxas? Man, what's with you? First you bolt up here like someone lit your ass on fire and now you're just standing here spacing out. What gives?"

Roxas turned away from the window and let the curtain drop, the light fabric swaying slightly for a second as it fell back into place and was still. Taking a breath he looked at his brother, "I thought I saw someone in here."

Sora gave him a look of confusion, "What?"

"When I was outside, I swear that I saw someone looking out this window."

The brunette came forward and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder, "It's an old house. It was probably just a reflection or something your brain misinterpreted."

"Yeah," Roxas said softly knowing full well that he didn't believe that. He knew what he had seen.

He father entered the room and gave it a once over before looking at his sons. "Hey boys, you picked out your rooms yet?"

Sora shook his head and skipped out of the room to pick his first bedroom that was all his own. Roxas watched him go then looked up at the older man, "I want this room."

His father gave him slightly confused eyes, "This one? It's rather small. Are you sure you don't want one of the bigger room? Your mom was thinking of using this as an office."

Roxas shook his head and gave his dad the full weight of those big blue eyes, "Please dad? I really like this room."

After a moment his dad smiled and came forward to ruffled Roxas' hair, "If it's the one you really want then of course you can have it. After all, this is the first time all you boys will each have your own rooms."

Roxas gave him a wide grin and hugged his father. The older man ran his fingers threw his son's bright blonde hair, "I'm glad it makes you happy."

The two pulled apart at the sound of a large crash downstairs and Roxas' mother shrieking at Ventus. His father gave him an amused smile before muttering that they should go downstairs and help move everything into the house before Ventus hurt someone. Roxas gave him a smirk, nodding and followed, stopping in the doorway to give a last glance at the room. The curtain was moving in the stillness of the air.

~O~

Roxas laid on his mattress, the small room he had chosen for himself was filled with boxes, the box spring and frame of his bed shoved up against one of the walls. They had managed to get all of their things unloaded from the truck and mostly into the rooms they were going to be unpacked and kept in, but that had been about it. For the most part, everything was still packed away waiting to be freed. His iHome was sitting on top of an unopened box, the glowing back light illuminating the numbers 3:36. He wasn't sure what had woken him, just that something was out of place.

Laying still for another second he heard it. The creek of the floor boards above him. His brow furrowing he sat up, looking at the ceiling. Sitting there in the stillness of the night he listened to what sounded like a pair of boots walking across the floor, then back again. On the third pass Roxas got out of bed and went to his discarded pants, taking out his iPhone 4S. He scrolled through his apps before he got to the one he wanted and tapped it.

The beam of light seemed painfully bright in the darkness of the room, but his eyes adjusted quickly. Going out into the hall, he passed the closed doors of his parent's and Sora's rooms before coming to the rope that hung from the ceiling, halfway down the hall. Moving a box that was sitting against the wall under the trap door he stood on it and reached out and gave the string a yank. The folding ladder gave a moan of protest but then was silent as he pulled it down, unfolding it. He held his phone awkwardly as he placed his foot on the bottom rung and stepped up. When he could peek his head into the attic he lifted his phone, the beam of light cutting like a knife into the darkness.

His heart was in his throat as he moved the light across the floor and along the walls. A thousand terrifying horror movie scenes flashing through his mind. Nothing was there, and the footsteps had stopped. Sighing, he climbed back down and pushed the ladder back up into its rightful spot. He then shoved the box back against the wall and calmly went back into his room. He placed his phone next to his iHome and laid back down, snuggling back into the covers. Just as he was about to drift back off to sleep, the steps started again but at this point he was too tired to care. He listened as they made their way across the attic then back again a few times before sleep finally pulled him under.

~O~

Roxas' eyes pulled themselves open as the annoying beeping of his alarm dragged him from sleep. Rolling over he groaned and lifted himself up onto his elbows so he could fumble for the off button. Pressing it he sighed in relief and fell face first back into his pillow. He was just this side of falling back asleep when his door slammed open causing him to shoot up in panic. Sora came bounding into the room, dressed and ready for the day. Roxas growled at him and pulled the covers over his head. Sora regarded his twin thoughtfully before taking a hold of the end of the blanket and ripping it from Roxas' body. The blonde gave a cry and lunged for the comforter. Sora dragged it with him as Roxas clamped on the other end and tried to drag it back to his bed.

"Let go!" He hissed planting his feet firmly against the floor and tugging.

"It's time to get uh-up," Sora singsonged.

"Let go, Sora!" Roxas pulled harder at the blanket and Sora relented, releasing the comforter. Roxas wasn't expecting the sudden lack of tension and went flying back, his ass colliding hard with the floor.

Sora doubled over laughing as Roxas swore, the pain in his tailbone causing tears to form in his eyes. "Fuck!" He cried getting to his feet and rubbing his butt.

"Watch your mouth!" Came the shout from down the hall.

Cloud appeared in the doorway of Roxas' room, "You two better be ready to go in ten minutes or I'm leaving your asses here."

"Language!" Came his father's voice again.

Roxas sighed and shooed his brothers out of his room with the promise that he was getting dressed. He then went to an open box and began pulling clothes out of it. After looking at several different articles of dress he settled on a tight black long sleeved shirt and blue jeans. He then tugged on his favorite band hoodie, grabbed a pair of socks and headed downstairs. Sora and Cloud were rummaging threw a couple of boxes marked 'food' as he came into the room and pulled one of the kitchen chairs out, plopping down into it to pull his socks onto his feet. Cloud gave up the search for something to eat before they left for school, Sora on the other hand had found a box of Reece's Puffs and was shoveling handfuls of the cereal into his mouth.

"Where's Ven?" Roxas asked when he had both socks snugly on his cold feet.

Cloud shrugged, "I don't know if he even got out of bed, but if he's not here in the next 2 minutes I'm leaving him here."

Roxas pushed himself to his feet and padded into the living room, pausing at the bottom of the stairs. "Ventus! Get your fucking ass down here or you won't have a ride to school."

His father's face appeared over the banister, "What have I told you boys about your language?"

"Sorry," Roxas called up at him as his twin came hurrying down the stairs.

"We're leaving!" Cloud called from the kitchen just before the side door slammed.

Roxas gave his father one last look before dashing off after his brothers. He let the door slam behind him and ran up to the van, hoping in the back after Ven and sliding the door shut. When they were all settled Cloud started the vehicle and pulled away from the curb. It was literately a five minute drive to their new school. As Cloud pull into a parking spot kitty corner to the school Roxas mentally prepared himself. He hated meeting new people, especially when he was with all three of his brothers. Don't get him wrong, he loved his brothers more then anything.

It was just hard taking the whispers and stares. Ventus took a breath and held it before he climbed over Roxas and pulled the door open, getting out. Hesitating for only a moment he followed, watching Sora get out of the front seat and standing with them. Cloud was already halfway across the street, not waiting for his brothers. Roxas didn't hold it against him in the least. He knew Cloud hated the attention just as much -if not more- then he did.

The triplets stood there for a moment looking at each other before they too moved toward the high school and the massive amount of students that were gathered outside the front doors. As they got closer Roxas could already see them getting noticed and he scowled. Groaning inwardly as he saw person after person tap their friends on the shoulder and point at them. Sora was the only one out of the three that actually enjoyed the attention, he was greeting people and smiling at the girls, waving. Ventus wasn't as bothered by the attention the three of them got as Roxas was, but it still got under his skin sometimes. People often treated them like they were a single unit and not three separate people.

Cloud had already disappeared into the building so they headed in after him, turning to the right and into the main office that was just off the front doors. It was a lot less noisy in here and Roxas relaxed. He saw Cloud at the main desk talking to an older brunette, she handed him 4 sheets of paper and had him sign a few others. He thanked her then turned around and walked to his siblings. He handed each of them a sheet and as Roxas looked at it he realized it was his schedule.

Glancing over it he was pleased to find that he had gotten into all the classes that he had requested. They then headed out of the office and into the cafeteria that sat across of the main doors after you walked in. Roxas ignored the looks that they got as they entered and followed the other three as they say down at and empty table. Him, Sora and Ven then compared their classes. They had all of their core classes together. Math, English, History, Economics and also had Lunch together. Him and Sora had Music Appreciation and he had Advanced Pottery with Ven.

"I'm gonna go mingle," Sora said popping up after they had figured out who had what with who.

Roxas watched him go, Sora had always been very sociably, where as he was more of a wall flower. Ventus stood then and said he was gonna go find out about joining the soccer team. That left Roxas with his eldest brother until the bell rang. Thankfully, Cloud was uninterested in talking, choosing to stare blankly at a brunette across the way. The two of them sat in silence for the next ten minutes, Roxas sketching in his art book and Cloud people watching. Finally, the bell rang and it was like a flood as every student went to get up and leave all at the same time.

"I'll see you later!" Cloud called as he slung his black backpack over his shoulder.

"Alright!" Roxas shouted back as he picked up his pencils and stuffed all his things back into his bag. He then made his way haphazardly toward the mass of bodies trying to fit through the double doors that lead out to the courtyard.

~O~

Roxas sighed as he sat at one of the circular lunch tables, his little Styrofoam tray sitting neglected in front of him. So far it wasn't all that bad here. His teachers seemed really nice and the lessons were, so far, easy to follow. He just wasn't used to not knowing anyone. Sure, he wasn't as sociable as his brothers were, but that didn't mean he hadn't known who people at his previous school were.

"Excuse me?"

Roxas looked up at the pretty blonde girl and the two boys that were standing just behind her.

"Mind if we sit with you?"

Roxas shook his head, "Sure."

The girl smiled at him and the three took seats at the table, sitting opposite him. Just then Roxas spotted Sora and Ventus out of the corner of his eye and he stood, waving them over. Sora saw him and his face lit up, scampering over with Ventus trailing behind him. They each took a seat on either sides of Roxas and the three other occupants of the table stared at them.

"You're twins?" The blond boy asked.

"Triplets," Roxas replied. "This is Ventus and Sora. Ven and I are identical twins, Sora is our fraternal twin."

The girl smiled at them, "That is so cool!" she gushed. "This is Hayner and Pence. I'm Olette," She said after another moment.

"Roxas," He introduced himself.

She gave him another smile and picked up her fork, "So, did you guys just move here?"

"Yeah," Sora answered. "We moved here from Cali."

"Seriously?" Hayner said. "I've always wanted to go out there. I've heard it's amazing."

Sora nodded in agreement, "It's pretty great."

They all fell into a comfortable silence as they began eating. Roxas looked at them thoughtfully, deciding that so far he liked them. They hadn't made a big deal about them being triplets, which was a nice change.

"Where are you guys living?" Pence asked after taking a gulp of milk.

Roxas swallowed what was in his mouth, "The big white house on Dubuque." He answered.

The other three went still and stared at him. "What?" He asked after a moment.

"You don't know?" Hayner asked looking at them in shocked disbelief.

"Know what?" Ventus asked setting down his plastic fork. He was finding their reaction to their house odd.

Hayner and Olette exchanged a look, "It's just, no one has lived in that house for a very long time. Like, ten years."

Roxas gave them confused eyes, intrigued. "Why?"

The two other blonde exchanged another look before Olette leaned in closer. "Someone was murdered there."

Ventus snorted, "Seriously? Are you trying to mess with the new kids? Tell them a killer lived in their house?"

No," Olette protested shaking her head. "It's true. Here. I'll show you." She got up and left the table. The five boys waited for her to return, none of them saying anything to each other.

Roxas saw her first almost 10 minutes later weaving through the crowds of people with a piece of paper in her hands. She handed it to Roxas who saw that it was a printout of a newspaper article.

Tragedy In Hollow Bastion

At 7:30 this morning police raided the home of one Ansem Arclight on suspicion that he was abusing his adoptive sons. They found one of the boys in the basement chained to the radiator badly beaten, but clinging to life. The other was found in what the police on scene could only describe as a torture chamber. The young teen was found strapped to a bed and had been raped and tortured to death. Ansem pleaded not guilty to the abuse and murder charges claiming that he loved his boys. The trial is set to start May 23rd 2002.

Roxas stared at the small article with wide eyes. The memory of footsteps above his ceiling last night sending chills down his spine. He passed the paper to Ven who took it and reread it. "Jesus, and this happened in our house?"

Olette nodded, "Yeah. They went to this school, my sister knew them."

Paling Roxas looked at her, "What was his name? The one that died, what was his name?"

She looked back sadly, "Axel. His name was Axel."

~O~

Roxas stretched his arms over his head and took a deep breath. After lunch the rest of his day had been pretty uneventful. He had gone to the rest of his classes, liked his teachers and had even made another friend by the name of Xion. She was a pretty dark haired girl that he shared his last period class with. Roxas liked her. As he headed out the doors he made a beeline threw the other students and jogged across the street to get the the family van. Sora was leaning up against the passenger side door. He grinned at his brother when he saw him and pushed off of the car.

"Hey, how was your first day?"

Roxas shrugged, "Eh, it was alright. My teachers are okay. And they are pretty much behind where I was so I'm not really worried about the lessons."

Sora nodded, "Yeah, I noticed that too." He looked over Roxas' shoulder. "Oh, good, there are Ven and Cloud. I can't wait to get home, I have so much shit I need to unpack."

Roxas snorted. He did too and he was not looking forward to going home and unpacking anything. Cloud didn't say anything as he pulled the keys from his pants pocket and unlocked the doors. Roxas thought it was a bit odd, seeing as Cloud didn't usually cut himself off from the three of them, but he figured he would leave him be. He, himself was still adjusting to the new setting and new life. When the four of them were seated Cloud started the engine and pulled down a side street, not wanting to try and go the way they came that morning, too many students milling over the street. Roxas was looking out the window mulling over everything that had happened that day. He liked the people he had met. None of they were overly in your face, like the people Sora tended to make friends with. Or jocks, Ventus' preferred group of friends. No, they all seemed to suit him well.

It wasn't long before they were pulling into the driveway of their new house again. Cloud cut the engine and was out of the van before any of the other three could move. They all exchanged a glance, wondering if something more then just the move was going on with their brother. He had seem perfectly okay yesterday and this morning, or as okay as Cloud got. What had happened during school hours?One by one the triplets filed out of the car, Roxas sliding the side door closed before following his twins up the front steps and into the house. Roxas was surprised at how homey it looked after only six hours of work. Sora called out for their parents, who were in the kitchen. Roxas tailed after Sora into the kitchen while Ven headed up to his room. Their mother had set a plate of pizza rolls on the table and the two boys dove for the snack, fighting over who would get more.

When they were gone and he had consumed a glass of milk to wash them down, Roxas excused himself up to his room, stating that he had a lot of homework to get done. He trudged up the steps to the second floor, his mind on what he had been told at lunch. He wasn't sure if he totally believed what Olette had told them. Then again, he had seen someone in his window and heard footsteps that belongs to no one last night. Chewing on his lip he pushed the door to his room open and froze. Brilliant green eyes turned toward him. He took in the teen's long red spikes, tattoos under those amazing eyes and his thin form.

"Who are you?" He demanded in a whisper.

"Me?" The redhead replied with a smirk. "My name is Axel. I died in this house."

~O~


	2. A Ghost Named Axel

~O~

Roxas just stood there and gaped at the figure standing in his room. "I-What?"

The redhead chuckled at his obvious shell shock. "I'm actually really surprised that you can see me. I mean, no one else has been able to."

Roxas took a breath and swallowed hard, "You're joking right? You're not really...dead, are you?"

Axel snorted and examined his fingernails, "Listen kid, the last thing I would joke about is death. It's a serious bitch."

"So, you're a..." His mind was having trouble functioning. "A..."

"A ghost?" Axel supplied. "Yeah."

"Right," Roxas said letting his backpack slip off his shoulder.

"Roxas? Who are you talking to?"

Roxas' head snapped around to see Ventus standing just behind him with a look of confusion. "You don't see anyone?" He asked astonished, glancing back into the room where Axel was standing, plain as day.

Ventus' brow furrowed, "No." He said slowly. "Are you okay, Roxas? You're looking a little pale. Are you sick?"

"God I hope so," Roxas murmured. "I'm gonna lay down for a while, can you tell Mom and Dad not to leave me alone?"

Ventus gave him a look but nodded, "Sure man."

Roxas then slipped into his room and closed the door. Axel was grinning at him as he threw himself down onto his mattress. "Told you you were the only one that could see me."

"This is weird!" Roxas whined into his pillow. "I hear your story at lunch today and now here you are standing in my room."

"Technically, this is my room, kid." Axel piped up settling himself down at the foot of the bed.

Roxas was startled to feel that Axel had mass. He sat up and gazed at the other male. "You don't look like a ghost. Aren't I supposed to be able to see through you or something?"

Axel shrugged, "I don't fucking know. This is the first time in ten years I have been seen by a human. I'm just glad to have someone to talk to."

Confused, Roxas turned over and pressed his hand against Axel's chest. The solidity of the touch made him shiver, and what felt like sparks raced up his arm. He was about to pull away when Axel grabbed his wrist and pressed his hand more firmly over his pectoral. He leaned his head back, "God that feels fucking amazing..."

A blush crept up Roxas' neck and colored his cheeks, his fingers tingling as he yanked his hand out of Axel's hold.

"So...you're dead?" He said after an awkward moment.

"Yup," Axel replied.

"Like, really seriously dead?"

"Yes," Axel said.

"Truly?"

"Yes," Axel said again a little annoyed.

"For serious?"

"Fuck kid," the redhead hissed. "Yes, I am dead. Really, truly, fucking fo' serious dead. I can recount to you the manner in which I was killed, 'cause I remember it. Vividly."

Roxas ducked his head away, "Sorry, It's just hard so to believe..."

"Well believe it," Axel sighed. "Because I'm a ghost and you're the only one that can see me."

Roxas made a face. Axel seemed kind of obnoxious and in your face; the kind of person that Roxas did not usually get along with. He crossed his arms over his chest, "Did it hurt?"

"Did what hurt?" Axel asked absently, his brow furrowing.

"Dying," Roxas said bluntly.

Axel blinked a few times and looked over at the blond. "Wow kid," He said slowly. "It's kind of insensitive to ask a dead person if dying hurt."

Roxas shrank back guiltily, his gaze falling to the floor. "Sorry," He muttered. "My brother is always telling me that I should think before I open my mouth because I always say insensitive shit and that's why people don't like me."

Axel grinned, "No biggie. It's just, dying is not a fond memory, ya know?"

Roxas nodded and side glanced at the redhead, "I can imagine."

The two fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes. "So, you said you heard about me today?" Axel said breaking the silence.

Roxas looked at him for a moment before replying, "Oh, yeah. From a girl named Olette. She said that her older sister had known you."

Axel started, "Seriously? She was just a little girl when I last saw her. I think she was about seven or so. I didn't really know her, just seen her a couple of times. I remember her sister though. She was a nice girl."

Axel looked sad for a moment and Roxas felt kind of bad for him. "How old were you when you, ya know, died?"

Axel gave a longing sigh, "Sixteen."

Roxas did the simple math in his head. If Axel had lived he would be 26 now. He probably would have had a girlfriend, a job, maybe even a kid on the way. The thought of Axel's unlived life made Roxas sad. He seemed like a decent enough guy from the few short moments that he had spent with him. A little full of himself sure, but not a bad guy.

"Can I tell my family about you?"

Axel looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "There aren't really any rules here, kid. But I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

Axel snorted, "'Hi Mom and Dad. There's a ghost in my room of this murdered kid named Axel. But I'm the only one that can see or hear him.'" He shook his head. "They'll be shipping your ass off to the loony bin before the end of the day."

Roxas looked back down at the hardwood floor and frowned. Axel was probably right. His family wasn't one to believe in the supernatural. His parents would probably laugh at him. Sora would definitely laugh at him, and taunt him till the end of his days. His twin was like that, never knowing when to drop something. Hell, Sora was still teasing him about things that had happened in 3rd grade.

"Okay. No telling my family then." Roxas bit his lip, his mind churning, trying to recall every movie he had ever seen that had ghosts in it. There was supposed to be something keeping Axel here. Unfinished business or something. He glanced back at the redhead examining him. Axel was rummaging through a box that was sitting next to the bed that was full of CDs and video games. He pulled each one out, read the title then placed it aside.

"No way! They made three more Halo games?" Axel had Halo Reach in his hands and was inspecting the back of the case.

"Yeah," Roxas said slipping onto the floor and scooting next to Axel. "They're coming out with Halo 4 in a month but Bungie left Microsoft so now I'm really on the fence about how good it's going to be."

Axel was currently digging Roxas' black 360 out of the bottom of the box. "You any good?"

Roxas gave him a smirk even though the redhead couldn't see it. "Yea, I'm pretty good. But you haven't played since the first one, you've never even played online."

Axel whipped around, "You can play online?"

Roxas smiled, "Yeah. They implemented it in Halo 2. Wanna play?"

Emerald eyes lit up, "Fuck yeah."

~O~

"What the fuck!" Roxas cried as he jerked his controller slamming on the right trigger button. "Dude! Someone take out the fucking Warthog!" He scream into his headset. "You guys fucking suck at this game! Kill the God damn sniper."

Axel chuckled at Roxas exuberant behavior and concentrated on not getting killed himself. It had been way too long since he had played a video game and Axel was just realizing how much he had really missed it. A moment of dismay came over him, there really were a lot of things about being alive that he missed and hadn't thought about too much till Roxas walked into his room. He side glanced at the blonde. Dating was something he missed a lot too. For all the hell that Ansem had put him through, he had still loved the feeling of falling in love. It had only happened to him once, but it was something he cherished even more now that he was dead. Those first flutterings when that special someone would talk to you. The excitement of the first date, the first kiss. Axel sighed as he watched his screen go from first person to third as a member from the enemy team assassinated him.

Roxas swore again but looked over startled as he noticed Axel had put down the controller and moved away from the love seat they had been sitting on. Furrowing his brow Roxas set his own controller down and got up, moving up behind Axel where he stood looking out the same window Roxas had first spotted him in. "You okay?"

Axel shrugged and didn't turn to look at the other boy. Roxas was at a loss with what to do or what was wrong so he placed his hand on Axel's back, trying to give him some form of comfort. They both gasped and Axel's hands grasped at the lace curtains, almost pulling them from their rod as he tried to steady himself. Roxas yanked his hand away and the two of them eased. The blonde's heart was racing, it was this weird electricity feeling when he touched Axel. Kind of like the first time but not, more. His whole body was tingling with the sensations. Axel was all but swooning where he stood. After another moment he gave a low moan. "Fuck man. I don't...it's like this rush of really good foreplay when you touch me."

"W-what?" Roxas spluttered his cheeks reddening.

Axel turned his head slightly and looked at the boy over his shoulder. "Sorry but there really isn't any other way I know how to explain it. I mean, I'd turn around and show you, but I'm sure that you wouldn't appreciate that."

Axel let the implication hang in the air and Roxas recoiled, moving over toward a few boxes against the wall and began to pull at the tabs that held the content inside. Axel watched him go and chuckled at him. It was way too easy to ruffle this kids feathers. Even more, he was sure there was a slight bulge as Roxas had moved away from him. So it wasn't just him that reacted when they touched, Axel mused. He filed that little tidbit of information away. Of course he hadn't talked about sexual preference with Roxas yet, having just me the boy less the 2 hours ago. But he had said that he had read the article about how he had died, and he wasn't treating Axel like something to be avoided. So Axel was pretty sure in his own mind that the boy was at least bi. Which for reasons Axel wasn't sure about (and not about to give thought) made him all the more appealing.

"So where are you from?" Axel asked trying to fill the now awkward silence.

"California." Roxas responded as he was pulling more clothes out of a box and placing them into the dresser that was sitting against the far wall. "My dad got a really good offer from a company here, so we moved." He words were slightly tinged with a bitterness that Axel quickly picked up on.

"Didn't want to move?"

Roxas snorted, "Fuck no, man. I had to leave my whole life behind. Friends, boyfriend, the house I grew up in. Everything."

"Boyfriend?" Axel questioned.

Roxas froze and slowly turned to face the redhead. "Uh...yeah. I hope that doesn't bother you...with everything that probably happened to you..."

Axel gave him a grin and waved him off, "Don't sweat it. I'm gayer than a three dollar bill..." He went quiet for a moment. "Guess that's why I attracted Ansem's advances...he never touched my brother, just me..." Axel's eyes went dark with the memories that were flying across him mind.

Roxas bit his lip. He had never even known anyone that had gone through the kinds of things that Axel probably had, so he was way out of his element for trying to console the other boy. Axel turned and looked back out the window. There was an uneasy silence between them now and Roxas was trying to think of something to say to fill the void but before he could there was a sharp knock at the door. Startled, Roxas abandoned the boxes he had been sorting through and moved to open the door. Sora was standing there grinning at him.

"Hey."

Roxas nodded in Sora's direction, "Hey. Need something?"

"Nah, mom just wanted me to let you know that dinner is in half and hour."

"Okay, thanks."

"What are you doing?" Sora asked pushing past Roxas without even asking if he could come in.

Roxas gave an exasperated sigh, "Unpacking, what does it look like?"

Sora looked over the room then back at his brother, "I don't know. I heard you talking to someone."

Roxas went still for a moment. "Alright you caught me, I was playing Halo. Satisfied?"

Sora grinned at him, "What-evs little bro. I really don't care that you were talking to yourself."

Roxas shoved Sora back toward his bedroom door, "Oh come off it. You are three minutes older than me."

"Three minutes I'm never gonna let you forget!" Sora yelled as Roxas slammed the door shut behind him.

Axel was staring at him with a slightly bemused look on his face. Roxas gave him a small smile and went to sit back down on the little sofa that he had in front of his TV. "I miss that."

"Huh?"

Axel waved a hand in the direction of the door, "Brotherly spats. Me and my brother got along real good, he was my best friend."

"What happened to him?" Roxas asked. He remembered that the article hadn't specified what had happened to the other boy.

"He survived. Had to go through year of physical and mental therapy, but he's doing okay. Last I knew he had moved as far away from here as he could."

"What's his name?"

"Reno. He was two years younger than me. I tried to protect him, thought as long as I was satisfying Ansem he wouldn't hurt him."

Roxas was quiet for a few heartbeats. "I'm sorry all that shit happened to you, Axel. You seem like a pretty decent guy to me."

Axel gave him a quirky smile, "Thanks. You seem pretty chill too. A little uptight in my opinion but you're nice."

Roxas gave him a look, "Do I take the compliment or bitch about the insult?"

Axel laughed," Just take the compliment, Roxas."

~O~


	3. Can't you See he's in Pain?

~O~

Roxas woke slowly, not sure what had pulled him from sleep. He rolled onto his back to find that Axel, who had been there when he had fallen asleep, was gone. He sat up and looked around the room. It was empty. Frowning Roxas slipped out from under his blankets and shivered a bit as he stepped onto the chilled floorboards.

"Axel?" He called softly.

There was no answer so he turned and headed for his bedroom door. He reached out to grasp the handle and as soon as his fingers touched the faux crystal there was a loud thump from above him. He glanced up at the ceiling listening as the footsteps began to make their way across the attic floor. His brow furrowing he opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. There was a soft glow of light from a nightlight that his mother had plugged into the hall wall so that no one tripped or fell down the stairs during the night. Roxas walked out and stood under the pull down ladder, he paused for a moment before grabbing the box from the wall away and sliding it over. He stood on it and grasped the rope and gave it a yank. The hinges gave a whining protest as he pulled the ladder down, it folding out as he pulled the rope down enough. He secured the ladder before he stepped up onto the first rung.

"Axel?" He whispered into the darkness.

Nothing. The footsteps continued so Roxas took a breath and stepped up to the next rung, slowly making his way up into the attic. This time instead of just poking his head in, he pulled his whole body up and stood almost terrified in the blackness. He opened his eyes as wide as he could, trying to see. The room was empty and went way back. Roxas made a move to go further into the attic when something caught his arm. He gasped, heart in his throat and turned his head to see Sora. Relief flooded though him at seeing his brother.

"What are you doing up here?" He asked in a harsh whisper.

"I could ask you the same thing," Sora shot back. "What are you doing up here?"

Roxas shook his arm out of Sora's hold. "I heard something."

"The footsteps?" Sora questioned.

Roxas nodded in the dark and the realized that his brother probably couldn't see it. "Yeah."

"I heard them last night too but I was too scared to figure out what they were." Sora grasped the fabric of the back of Roxas' shirt as the blond moved further into the attic. They could both hear noises as if someone was moving around in the darkness but as they moved further into the room the noises moved back away from them. It was like an odd game of cat and mouse. As they neared the back wall of the attic the noises suddenly stopped and the silence was deafening. Sora gripped Roxas more tightly as they came to a stop in the now quiet attic. They waited for another moment before Roxas turned to go back and screamed, falling to the floor with a thump. Axel was standing there looking down at him with near glowing eyes.

Sora crouched down next to his brother in a panic, "What? What is is?"

Roxas tried to swallow past the pulse in his throat and shook his head, "It was nothing." He said in a breathy whisper. "I thought I saw something and I freaked for a moment."

He watched Axel, who was standing there almost sadly just looking at him. All the teasing and smiles from earlier were gone and he had a transparency to him. Roxas could make out the rafters behind him. He looked emaciated and defeated. Roxas didn't know who this Axel was, but it sure wasn't the boy he had met earlier today. Pulling himself from the floor he stood and watched as Axel turned away and faded into the dark. After another moment, Roxas -with a terrified Sora glued to his back- made his way back to the door and climbed down the ladder. As he folded the ladder and lifted it towards the ceiling Roxas was confused. What had Axel been doing up in the attic? And why did he look so different from when he ad been in his room? Roxas didn't know what was going on and he was slightly afraid. Axel had died in such a terrible way, and for him to still be here must mean something not good.

Sora was watching him with frightened eyes as the springs in the ladder finished folding up and fell into place, the door to the attic shutting with a click. Roxas turned back to his brother and just looked at him. They both silently agreed that they were going to tell no one about what they had heard in the attic. Sora -who would have teased Roxas relentlessly had he came to him with this story before a few moments ago- felt like his world was a little less solid. He had never before believed even for the slightest moment that there were things in this world that were unexplainable. But after having been in the attic with footsteps and noises in an empty room that seemed to move with them, seemed to have a intelligence to it. Well, it was more then enough to freak the poor brunette out and have him questioning what he thought he knew about the world. After a brief moment of having Sora terrified to go back to him room alone Roxas returned to his own, slipped inside and shut the door. He turned to see that Axel had not come back, feeling just the slightest twinge of disappointment. Where did ghosts go when they disappeared anyway?

~O~

Axel sat alone in the basement. He didn't like it down here, too many bad memories. Even though everything that Ansem had kept down here was gone, the impression in the room was still the same. Emptiness, fear, oppression, anger, lust, pain. He wasn't sure why he was down here, but running into Roxas in the attic had shaken him. He wasn't used to being seen, and no one had lived in this house since his death so it was even more unnerving that the first people that had, had a boy that could see him. Don't get him wrong he was glad to finally have someone to communicate with, but after 10 years of solitude it was hard to adjust to living people. It had been so long that he had began to forget what it was like to be human. And he certainly didn't know that touching a living being would feel the way it did. It was like, if only for that short time, he was alive again. As a ghost he couldn't feel anything, but when Roxas has touched him it was like the sensation of touch came flooding back all at once. He hadn't meant to be so crude about what it felt like. But going 10 years without feeling so much as the wind on his face to the warmth of someone touching him, had been more than he had been ready for. It was kind of embarrassing now to think that it had given him a stiffy.

This house and all it's memories...he hated that he was stuck here, in this place, with all that had happened to him. And what was worse was now a little blond that he was massively attracted to was living in his old bedroom. He didn't want to be creepy. Their little talk that afternoon had been awkward as hell. And he was pretty sure that Roxas felt sorry for everything that had happened to him, even if he didn't know any of the details. It was nice that Roxas was trying to be sensitive to what he assumed happened, but Axel didn't want pity. He also didn't like that Roxas knew he had been sexually abused. It was still a sore subject to him. Not like he could talk out the abuse with someone the way that Reno had been able to. No, Axel had died and had had to go on with the memories and hatred for the last 10 years alone. And now, with Roxas, Axel was at a loss. He wanted more than anything to befriend the little blonde, but even though they had spent an afternoon together pretty pleasantly he was unnerved by the invasion of privacy when he had stumbled across him and his brother in the attic. That was his space. Where he went when the darkness inside his head became too much.

He closed his eyes and when he opened them he was back in his room. Roxas was tucked under the covers of his bed, his form moving slightly as he breathed. Axel walked over to the bed and placed his hand on Roxas' exposed shoulder. The tingling sensation ran up his arm and he stifled a gasp, Roxas moaned under his fingertips. After a moment Axel pulled his hand back and the human stilled. The redhead lifted his hand to stare at his palm. Why was is like this to touch a living being? He had never thought to try before, so he didn't know if it was all living things, or just Roxas. Though as he thought about it, he came to the conclusion that it was probably just Roxas, as the little blonde was the only living person that was able to see him. Which probably translated into being the only one able to touch him. So, did that mean that if they both wanted to they could have sex? Axel scowled at himself. Why was that the first place that his mind went? He wanted Roxas' friendship first and foremost, so why did he think about him and the blonde in that way? He didn't know, wasn't completely sure he wanted to face the answer to that question right then. So he moved away from Roxas' bed and sat on the loveseat that they had shared earlier in the day. Curling his long legs under him Axel rested his head on his chest and watched as the younger boy slept.

~O~

Roxas woke slowly. He was not a morning person and his adventure into the attic with Sora at four in the morning had broken his sleep cycle so he was extra cranky as he pushed himself into a sitting position. Casually he glanced to the side and jumped in shock and fright as Axel was sitting there watching him. His hand flew to his chest, "Jesus!" He cried. "Don't do that."

Axel's brow furrowed, "Do what?" He asked innocently.

Roxas threw his covers off and swung his legs over the side his the bed, "Don't just sit there and watch me sleep. It's creepy."

He saw Axel's features color, "Sorry. I was actually sitting here trying not to be creepy."

Roxas laughed and shook his head as he went over to the cardboard box that still held all of his clothes. "Okay, well from now on no watching me sleep. It's too stalkerish for me."

Axel held up his first two fingers in salute which made Roxas laugh all the more. Axel grinned and was glad that there wasn't and residual tension between them. Though he couldn't be sure that it wouldn't return once Roxas brought up running into him in the attic. Nonetheless he watch as the blonde sorted though what he had in the box and finally selected a shirt and a pair of pants. Axel assumed that Roxxas was going to as him to look away or something as he changed but to the redhead's surprise the shorter shucked his sleeping pants without so much as a glance in Axel direction. Caught off guard by this Axel politely looked towards the other side of the room as Roxas dressed. Even though Roxas was wearing boxers (which more than covered what needed to be covered) there was something intimate about seeing someone standing there in their underwear.

"Not very modest, are you?" Axel pipped up while studying the odd wallpaper.

Roxas turned to look at Axel, his shirt held between his hands. "We're both guys, we have the same equipment. Just because you're a ghost doesn't mean I am going to treat you any different."

An emotion that Axel was confused with touched his heart. He was endeared by Roxas' reply. As much as the youth was uptight and easy to rile, he really did have a good heart under it all. Axel's face twisted into one of self loathing without warning and the wonder that had touched him slipped away under the deep rooted fury. "I was raped." He said bluntly. "I was sexually abused by my stepfather. That doesn't change your perspective towards me?"

Roxas looked confused as he slipped his shirt over his head, "No." He said slowly. "Should it?"

For reasons that he didn't know he became infuriated with Roxas. He wanted to pick a fight with the blonde for absolutely no reason. The realization made the taller pause. Just moments ago he was touched that Roxas wanted to treat him just like everyone else, now he wanted to fight with him over it. It didn't make any sense. Axel watched in silence as Roxas continued to get ready for school. He watched him put on his socks, run a comb threw his unruly locks and unhook his phone from the charger. After all of his things were gathered he turned back to Axel. He gave the ghost boy a small smile and said that he would be back after school. Axel nodded and watched the other boy slip from the room and shut the door quietly. He remained on the little sofa for what Roxas' iHome told him was four hours. Time didn't mean anything to the dead so it barely felt more than a few minutes for Axel. He was still trying to figure out why he had been so eager to throw what he had gone through in Roxas' face this morning.

He couldn't figure out what he had been thinking, or not thinking it seemed. Maybe, his mind churned slowly, maybe he needed someone to tell him that it hadn't been his fault. That no matter what he had said to Ansem that he was not responsible for what had occurred. Maybe he needed someone to finally say to him 'I'm sorry that happened to you but it is not your fault. He was the adult.' Self disgust rose up in his stomach like hot bile. It had been his fault. He had given in to Ansem's advances. Hell, he had even asked for it a couple of times. He knew what he was, he was a whore. A filthy, nasty person for enjoying the things that Ansem had done to him. He was a slut for orgasming from being fucked by his step father. He buried his head in his arms and felt dirty and lost, and hated himself. Memories rose like wisps of smoke, and the more he tried to swat them away the more they swirled and became more insistent. Until he was whimpering with one particular nasty memory of when they had been moving into this place and Reno had been away at a friend's house. It had been just him and Ansem moving the furniture from a storage unit. They had gotten there and Ansem had taken him inside and shown him a towel on top of...well he couldn't remember exactly what it had been on but Ansem had sucked him off in that storage unit.

He had felt so dirty, so much like the whore Ansem accused him of being after that. Axel garnished his teeth and sunk them into his arm to silence the terrible screams that were caught in his throat. Why now were these horrible memories insisting on plaguing him? He had been dead for 10 years and had manged to keep them at bay. Why now, that someone finally could see him, were they coming back to him? Was it because of Roxas that his psyche decided that these were things that needed to be dealt with? Axel let out a sobbing breath, unaware of when he had started crying. His chest was in immeasurable pain, if he had been alive he would have been afraid that he was having a heart attack. No, he knew that this pain was emotional, no physical. He had half a lifetime of abuse that was demanding that he come to terms with. And it was all because of a cute little blond boy that could see him.

~O~

Roxas hated to admit it, but he was really liking his new school so far. For once he had begun to make friends easily. For the second day in a row Roxas and his two bothers sat with Hayner, Olette, and Pence at lunch. He felt comfortable around the other kids, and opened up pretty quickly to them. So when they invited him to go to the arcade after school Roxas happily accepted. He was so looking forward to the end of school, that his last class of the day seemed to drag on for hours. By the time 2:30 rolled around Roxas' eyes were glued to the clock and he was counting down the seconds. Finally, the bell rung and Roxas shot out of the class room and was halfway down the hall before most of the other kids had managed to put their things in their bags.

Roxas headed for one of the side entrances and waiting just outside the doors for the other three to get there. He was anxious. He didn't make friends like all his brothers did (not that he wasn't popular he just didn't seem to get on with a lot of his peers). So that he had clicked so fast with these three made him pretty excited. After five or six minutes Olette emerged from the building giving him a small smile. "Hey, Hayner and Pence can't come with. Hayner got a call from his dad and had to go home and Pence got detention for I don't even know what."

Roxas drooped around the edged at her news, "Oh."

She gave him a bigger smile, "I'm still free. Did you want to hang out at my place and work on homework? I know it's not the arcade but we will never hear the end of it if we go alone."

The male brightened, "Oh, yeah. That's fine."

Olette brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face and lead the way down the steps and headed across the street. Roxas followed behind her and they were both a bit silent as they walked to Olette's house. After about ten minutes the girl stopping in front of a large apartment building. She pulled a set of keys out of her pocket and opened the front door, holding it open for Roxas. He entered and the brunette instructed him to the second floor. He climb the stairs and waiting on the landing as the girl came up behind him and opened the door with a different key. They went inside and Roxas was stunned by the beautiful interior decoration. Olette explained that her parents both worked for the national museum and were avid history collectors.

She then led the blonde into the bedroom off of the living room. It was pretty basic compared to the common spaces of the apartment. There was a bed, a TV, and a computer desk complete with what Roxas was sure was a very expensive computer. Olette had no posters or wall decoration other than her Jr. High diploma. She threw herself down on the bed and sighed for a moment before she sat up and began pulling books out of her bag. Roxas sat down at the computer desk and also removed a few books. He had been ahead of them at his old school but that didn't mean that he didn't need to do the paperwork. Opening his world history book he glanced over the chapter he was supposed to be reading when his mind wandered to Axel. He looked over at Olette and decided that she seemed more likely to believe him than anyone in his family or who he had met so far here.

"Hey, Olette? Can I ask you something?"

The brunette girl didn't even look up from her textbook. "You just did."

Roxas gave a little huff, "You know what I meant."

She looked up at him with a smile, "Yeah I know what you meant." It faded though as she saw that Roxas was serious about whatever it was he wanted to say. "Yeah, sure go ahead."

Roxas hesitated for a moment. "Do-" He faltered. "Do you believe in ghosts?" As soon as the words left his mouth he felt stupid.

Olette looked at him strangely for a moment but seriously contemplated his query. "I believe that something must happen after you die. That there are some things in this world that are unexplainable. Why?"

Roxas shifted in the plush chair, "If I tell you something, you promise not to think I am crazy?"

Feeling a little crept out by this boy she barely knew she nodded. Roxas took a deep breath and held t for a moment before letting it go and looking Olette right in the eye. "Axel is a ghost. He's been haunting that house since he died. And I am the only one that can seen him."

Olette stared at him for a moment before breaking out into laughter. "What? Do you seriously want me to believe that? I mean, I just told you that story yesterday."

"I know!" Roxas said indignantly. "I got home from school yesterday and he was all 'my name's Axel, I died in this house. '"

Olette's laughed began to fade and there was a few moments of awkward silence before she spoke again. "You're...you're not joking, are you?"

Roxas shook his head vehemently, "No. I'm not."

Olette gaped at him, as if unable to truly comprehend what she was being told. "What does he want?" She asked after another moment.

Roxas shrugged, "I think he's just lonely. He said no one has been able to see him in ten years."

"I'm not surprised that he would be lonely. That sounds lonely. Do you think he needs help moving on?"

Again Roxas shrugged, "I don't know. He told he there aren't really any rules to being a ghost. Though I am pretty sure it probably has to do with the way he died."

Olette nodded and flipped herself off the bed, coming to stop next to Roxas, turning her computer on. "There are a couple more article about what happened, if you want to read them. I did a report on everything because it was the biggest recent scandal that we had had here in a very long time. I found the autopsy report, the things that were done to him before he died are unbelievable. He was beaten, raped and then violated with a broken bottle..." She shuttered in disgust and fell silent as she brought up a folder filled with information on the case.

Roxas sat there and read through every article, though he decided that he was not going to look at the medical examiner's report. He didn't want those thoughts in his head when he went home and had to interact with Axel. The trail had go on for over a year, the defense trying to drag it out as much as possible. Reno had, on top of the states charges sued Ansem for intentional infliction of harm and had been awarded two hundred thousand dollars after the trial had ended. It had taken the jury 6 hours to come back with a guilt to all 27 counts. Ansem was sentenced to 3 life sentences and was currently serving his time in an upstate prison without the possibility of parole. There wasn't much information in the articles about what Axel had been like in life. Though there was a very nice obituary with a nice picture of the redhead. It made Roxas really sad to read about Axel in a series of newspaper articles.

After he was done reading he turned in the chair to face Olette who had gone back to her homework. "Sad, isn't it?" She asked chewing on the end of her pen.

Roxas gripped his biceps, "It's so surreal. I almost don't believe it. How could anyone do that to another human being?"

Olette shrugged, "I don't know."

Roxas shivered, but not because he was cold. He couldn't imagine what it was like to die in the manner that Axel had. Alone, in pain, probably filled with hate and not understanding why this man, this man that had vowed to protect him, could be the one to do these things to him. No wonder he was still here.

~O~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rox3l: Okay! So I will let you know right now, this is not an easy story for me to be writing. A good chunk of what I am describing Axel having gone through is from personal experience (and before you ask, the bottle thing is made up). I am sorry that it took so long for this chapter to come out but I had a bit of trouble figuring out if I wanted to time skip or not, had a bit written, trashed it, then ending up with a block.
> 
> But here is chapter 3 and I think it's longer than even chapter 1, so yay!


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